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8.2 What are Attendant Care Services?

Attendant care services are provided to assist a person to manage their essential and regular personal care needs.

Generally attendant care services are provided to assist people with activities such as grooming, bathing, feeding, dressing, toileting and other personal or hygiene needs.

However, for clients who have severe physical, mental health or cognitive injuries, a broader definition of attendant care can apply. For these clients, personal care needs may also encompass assistance and support to make decisions, assistance with controlling mood, encouragement and prompting to undertake routine personal care tasks, assistance attending treatment and emotional support to manage challenging situations.

If DVA delegates have a case where they are unsure if the support the person requires falls into the definition of attendant care, particularly where the client has been receiving ongoing attendant care services for a long period of time, they are requested to seek policy advice by emailing rehabilitation@dva.gov.au. It is important that this advice is sought, before any changes are made to the existing level of services that the client is receiving.

Assessments for attendant care services

Claims for attendant care services are assessed on evidence from the client’s treating doctor and/or suitably qualified health professional or suitably qualified rehabilitation service provider.

Where a delegate is not satisfied they have sufficient information upon which to base a decision that a person requires attendant care services, a further assessment should be arranged by an independent and qualified medical professional or rehabilitation service provider with specialist skills, such as a contracted Community Nursing Program Provider, or an Occupational Therapist or Social Worker with specific expertise (for example in assisting people with brain injury or mental health issues).

As part of the assessment, consideration should always be given to the purchase of aids and appliances that may enable a person to perform normal activities of daily living themselves. This facilitates a greater degree of independence for the client, improves their overall ability to function normally in the community and aligns with DVA’s focus on whole-of-person rehabilitation and promotion of independence and self-management. Further information about aids and appliances through RAP, including the one-off approval process for non-scheduled items, can be found in chapter 10.2 of the Rehabilitation Policy Library.

While the need for attendant care services may be identified through a rehabilitation assessment, the provision of attendant care services is not dependent on participation in a rehabilitation program. It is however, desirable that attendant care services are delivered as part of a "package of support" that may include rehabilitation supports, to facilitate the client’s recovery and independence and ensure that their whole of person needs are met more effectively. This is particularly important where a client has severe impairments due to their service injury or disease.

Long term attendant care services

The provision of attendant care services for a short period of time may be relatively common for persons who are recovering from surgery or other treatment of an accepted service injury or disease. However, where a client has significant, complex injuries, including for example, spinal or brain injuries, ongoing attendant care services may be required.

Long term assistance should generally only be approved where clients have ongoing seriously incapacitating medical conditions. Regular reviews are encouraged to ensure that delegates have a good understanding of the client’s circumstances and needs.

It is particularly important that where clients have been receiving attendant care services for a long period of time, including where that support is provided by family, that decisions are not made to immediately cease or change services. Instead, delegates are asked to contact rehabilitation@dva.gov.au for policy advice before any decisions are made.

services are provided by professional carers to ensure that clients receive high quality care which is consistent with industry best practice;

services can only be provided by a relative in rare and exceptional circumstances where there is documented evidence from a suitably qualified medical professional that a client becomes highly anxious or distressed by a professional carer providing assistance with care of an intimate nature. Evidence is required to support a determination in these cases (see section 8.4.6 in this chapter for further information); and

services will usually attract GST.

Nursing Care

is necessary for the treatment or medical care of the compensable condition to address clinical needs (ie. administration of medication, dressing of wounds, bowel care, catheter care etc);

will require the services of either a registered or enrolled nurse;

may include support to address personal care needs identified through an assessment by a contracted community nursing care service provider;

will be provided at the direction or request of a legally qualified medical practitioner;

services should not be provided by family members – this applies regardless of whether the family members holds the appropriate nursing qualifications (see section 8.4.6 in this chapter for further information); and

About CLIK

The Consolidated Library of Information and Knowledge (CLIK) contains all the legislative, policy and reference material used by DVA staff in providing service to the clients of the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Rehabilitation

Disclaimer

Information provided on this website is for general information and on the understanding that the Australian Government is not providing professional advice on a particular matter.

While we make every effort to ensure that the information on this site is accurate and up to date we accept no responsibility whether expressed or implied for the accuracy, currency and completeness of the information.

Before relying on the material you should independently check its relevance for your purposes, and obtain any appropriate professional advice.

For reasons of succinctness and presentation, the information provided on this website may be in the form of summaries and generalisations, and may omit detail that could be significant in a particular context, or to particular persons.

Important legislative change

Please be aware that Parliament has recently passed a new Act that will replace the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (SRCA) for current and former members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with conditions linked to service prior to 1 July 2004.

The new Act, titled the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988 (DRCA), will have the same eligibility requirements and provide the same benefits for current and former members of the ADF with compensation coverage under the SRCA. The DRCA will also apply to new claims the Department receives from current and former ADF members with injuries, diseases, deaths, losses or damages resulting from ADF employment prior to 1 July 2004.

The DRCA commenced operation on 12 October 2017.

As a result of this change, the Department is updating its published information, including hardcopy and website content, including CLIK. While this process is well underway, it will take some time before all changes are complete. In the meantime, references within CLIK to the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 or SRCA should now generally be understood to be references to the new DRCA Act (with the exception of intended historical references to SRCA). It is important to note that the same provision references (i.e., sections, subsections and paragraphs) from the SRCA have been retained in the DRCA.

Again, while the Department makes every effort to ensure that the information on this site is accurate and up to date and all necessary changes will be made as soon as practicable, the above disclaimer notice is of particular importance to those members whose circumstances may be affected by this legislative change. We appreciate your patience during this change process.